Glossary of Watch Terms.

analog: A watch that shows the time using hour and minute hands.

analog - digital display: A watch that shows the time by means of hour and minute hands (analog display) as well as by numbers (a digital display).

automatic winding (or self-winding): This term refers to a watch with a mechanical movement (as opposed to a quartz or electrical movement). The watch is wound by the motion of the wearer's arm rather than through turning the winding stem. A rotor that turns in response to motion winds the watch's mainspring. Most automatic watches have up to 36 hours of power reserve. If an automatic watch is not worn for a day or two, it will wind down and need to be wound by hand to get it started again.

B
battery reserve indicator (or end of battery indicator): Some battery-operated watches have a feature that indicates when the battery is approaching the end of its life. This is often indicated by the second hand moving in two second intervals instead of each second.

bezel: The ring that surrounds the watch dial (or face). The bezel is usually made of gold, gold plate or stainless steel.

bi-directional rotating bezel: A bezel that can be rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise. These are used for mathematical calculations such as average speed or distance (see "slide rule") or for keeping track of elapsed time(see "elapsed time rotating bezel").

built-in illumination: Lighting on a watch dial that allows the wearer to read the time in the dark. Check out Seiko's Lumi-brite technology.

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